Ruslan and Ludmila
" Ruslan and Ludmila" is quite possibly Ptushko's greatest masterpiece, an epic two-part fantasy packed with surreal, grotesque characters - a sorcerous midget with a 50-foot beard, a demonic, hunchbacked witch - and jawdropping set pieces such as the midget's shimmering crystal palace, tormented figures chained inside a cavern, and a decapitated giant's head rising up like a statue on Easter Island. Based on a poem by Pushkin, Ptushko's final film as director follows the epic adventures of Ruslan as he struggles to recover the feisty, resourceful bride kidnapped on their wedding night by the impish sorcerer Tchernomor.
by Robert Skotak
